After we install plants at your business or commercial location, it takes several weeks for the plants to adjust. Plants suffer shock when moved from one environment to another. Especially when placed in most business situations where the light levels are minimal. So, expect some leaves to yellow, leaves to drop, and plants to thin out during this stabilization period.

Our plant care people are professionals, educated and trained in the care of interior plants in business environments. A plant care horticulturist will come by on a regular schedule to give your plants the best possible care.

Never allow your well-meaning office personnel to try to help us.
An “extra” watering may help wipe out a plant collection. Plants in low-light business situations require completely different care procedures than house plants.

WATERING

Many factors influence the amount of water needed by a plant—temperature, light, the size of growing container, etc. We can project the amount of water each plant will use in a week. Some plants can only be watered every two or three weeks. Plants in subirrigation systems require even less watering. Watering cycles often change as your building’s heating or air conditioning systems switch over.

FERTILIZING

In most business interiors we fertilize plants at a low level to keep them green and healthy. Over-fertilizing can be a serious problem and difficult to correct. We sometimes conduct soil tests to determine the nutrient needs of larger plantings.

PRUNING & TRIMMING

Most tropical plants continually shed old leaves and grow new ones. We remove the leaves as soon as they turn yellow. The tips of leaves will often turn brown, particularly on older leaves, so we'll trim the brown tips. Occasionally pruning is required when plants grow too tall or become spindly.

INSECT CONTROL

There are a variety of insects to which foliage plants are fair game. Some, like spider mites, are microscopic and airborne. We use a combination of sprays, natural controls, and systemic insecticides added to the soil to control insects if a problem develops. In larger plantings we use biological controls such as natural predators to control harmful insects. Our maintenance staff is licensed and/or registered to use pesticides, and receives update training annually.

DISEASE CONTROL

Tropical foliage plants are sometimes plagued by fungus, virus and bacteria problems. Our horticulturists are trained to recognize these plant diseases, treat them when necessary, and prevent them from occurring.

CLEANING

Part of our service includes cleaning your plants. It’s amazing how much everyday dirt and dust circulate in the air and collect on the foliage of your plants. We dust and wash plant leaves on a regular basis. Plants with clean leaves are healthier because they get the maximum light available and are less susceptible to insect and disease problems.

REPLACEMENT

With most of our maintenance contracts, we guarantee to replace, at no additional cost, any plant that does not remain in a healthy, attractive condition. These replacements will be made promptly by us without your being aware that a plant’s appearance has deteriorated. However, don’t hesitate to call us if you feel that quality is not up to snuff.

QUALITY CONTROL

In addition to the horticulturist who will be assigned to service your account, we have quality control supervisors who will visit you periodically. They will check to be sure you’re happy with our service and will check the general appearance and health of your plants.

MOVING PLANTS

For our plant guarantee to stay in force, your personnel should never water or move plants to new locations without our approval. If you will be moving offices and personnel to different locations within your present space, let us know. We’ll do light meter readings to help find the best new locations for the plants. We must be told in advance if plants are to be moved so our people can locate them and care for them. If you are moving to a new building, we can move and place the plants for you at the cost of our labor.

EMERGENCIES

If a problem develops, call us and we’ll make sure someone is out to try to solve it as quickly as possible. If your heating or air conditioning fails, call us at once as we may be able to advise on how to save the plants.